Decision 45 COM 7B.32

Laponian Area (Sweden) (C/N 774)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision CONF 201 VIII.B adopted at its 20th session (Merida, 1996) by which the Committee “recommended that the Swedish authorities continue to work with local Sámi people”, and Decision 37 COM 7 (Part III) adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013) which urges all States Parties and leading industry stakeholders to respect the International Council on Mining and Metals “No-go” commitment by not permitting extractive activities within World Heritage properties and by making every effort to ensure that extractive companies located in their territory cause no damage to World Heritage properties, in line with Article 6 of the Convention,
3. Expresses its utmost concern that the State Party approved an exploitation concession for the proposed Kallak mining development in the vicinity of the property, which could potentially impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property which is dependent on wider cultural practices of reindeer husbandry that are important to the integrity and authenticity of the property, and the attributes that underpin criteria (iii) and (v);
4. Notes the concerns raised by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the UN Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment on the failure to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of the Sámi for this project and the threats to the rights of the Sámi as indigenous people and to the protection of their environmental and cultural heritage rights, and urges the State Party to:
   1. Ensure that the practice of reindeer husbandry outside the boundaries of the property and directly related to reindeer husbandry within the property is adequately protected,
   2. Ensure that any further consideration of the proposed Kallak mining development guarantees the free, prior and informed consent of the Sámi indigenous people, consistent with international legal obligations, including under the Convention;
5. Considers that the 2017 In-depth Impact Assessment (IDIA) commissioned by the mining company, which underpins the approval of the exploitation concession issued by the State Party in March 2022, does not adequately assess the potential impacts of the proposed project on the OUV of the property, and deeply regrets that the exploitation concession was granted before the assessment was revised to address the issues raised in the 2021 joint ICOMOS/IUCN Technical Review of the IDIA;
6. Notes the requirement in the concession conditions to revise the IDIA prior to an application for a mining operation in the concession area, and requests the State Party to ensure that a revised integrated IDIA is completed to assess the potential impacts on the OUV of the property in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, specifically addressing the Statement of OUV for the property and the attributes which support it, and to submit the assessment to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to taking any decision regarding the potential issuing of a permit for a mining operation;
7. Further requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to ascertain the present condition of the property, the nature and extent of the threats to the property, to provide guidance on the IDIA revision process including the efficacy of the criteria defined for the evaluation of potential impacts of the proposed mining and ancillary activities, and to propose measures to facilitate the conservation of attributes which support the OUV of the property;
8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session.